A Voice in the Wilderness

The Newsletter of St. George Orthodox Christian Church Rev. Matthew P. Binkewicz, Pastor Glory be to Jesus Christ! Glory be Forever! Volume 10 Issue 456 5th Sunday of -St. Mary of Egypt March 21, 2021

our Lord's passion, beloved in Christ, 5th Sunday-St. Mary of Egypt and ponder its mystery, let us take heart from the words of promise ut- * St. Benedict of Nursia * tered by our Lord Himself: "And the Epistle: Hebrews 6: 13-20 third day He will rise again." For the Christian who takes these words seri- : Mark 9: 17-31 ously, they are words of hope, St. George Orthodox Christian strength, and victory over evil. This is Church is a community of believ- especially so when considering the ers who strive to live a life accord- lurking dangers which surround us in ing to the Gospel of Christ and our struggle to live what the life in teachings of the Church. Christ implies. One of these dangers is the possibil- We worship God in Trinity - "Behold, we are going up to Jerusa- ity of slipping back into our old ways Father+Son+Holy Spirit. lem, and the Son of Man will be be- and bad habits following our intense trayed to the chief priests and to the efforts of conversion during Great We are dedicated to living out scribes; and they will condemn Him to Lent and Holy Week. More cunning death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; still is the danger that our practice of Christ’s commandment to, Love and they will mock Him, and scourge religion might one day become a thing the Lord your God with all your Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. of habit. In the early days of Christian- heart, ad with all your soul, and And the third day He will rise ity there was vigorous enthusiasm to- with all your strength, and with all again." (Mk 10:33-34) wards the new faith. But by the end of your mind; and your neighbor as As we meditate on these words of (continued p. 3) yourself. On Repentance by Metropolitan of Gortnya My Christian brothers because the cure has again: ‘The blood of Je- We invite all to worship in our and sisters, what will be- been found for the soul sus Christ cleanses us of services. Sunday come of our sins, the that’s sinned and it wash- all sin’. begins at 9:30 AM multitude of our great es and cleanses it of the On our part, what’s re- sins? With those we ugliness of sin. quired for the remission If you have any questions about committed when we And this remedy is the of our sins is repentance. were young and those blood of Christ! Indeed. Repentance means that the church or would like to speak when we were grown. Christ’s death on the we humbly accept that with our pastor, please call Fr. And even in old age we Cross was a sacrifice for we’re to blame for what Matthew at don’t abandon vile sin. the remission of our sins: we’ve done, that we’re 607-280- And if you think about ‘The blood of Jesus guilty, that we shouldn’t 1586 it, sin’s a terrible thing Christ cleanses us of all have done it and that, if because it blemishes our sin’ (1 Jn. 1, 7). Had we’re tempted again in Glory be to beautiful soul; it takes Christ’s blood not been similar circumstances, Jesus Christ. away our joy and makes shed, we wouldn’t have we won’t do it again. As Glory be us sad; and, worst of all, been able to erase any we can see, repentance it separates us from God. transgression, not even a requires humility, be- Forever. But I have to tell you that white lie, however much cause egotists can’t say ‘ you should be happy, we tried. Let me say (continued p.2)

St. George Orthodox Church * 30 Myers Heights* Lansing, NY 14882 * 607-280-1586 *www.saintgeorgelansing.com News and Notes I alone have sinned against Thee, I have We welcome all who are worshiping with sinned above all men; reject me not, O us today. Because of COVID-19, our so- Christ my Savior. cial hour has been canceled until we re- Thou art the Good Shepherd: seek me, ceive further instructions from the Depart- the lamb that has gone astray and do not ment of Health. forsake me. Thou art my sweet Jesus, Thou art my Pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5.17) Creator, and in Thee shall I be justified, O Please keep the following in your prayers: Esther, Clement John, Mother Onufria, Savior. Meg, Larissa, Jack, Stephen, Louise, I confess that I have sinned, I have George, Evan, Ryan, Sandy, , Ana- sinned against Thee, O Savior. But in Thy Tropar to St. George toly, Alexey, , Susan, Jenny, compassion absolve me and forgive me. Arise, O my soul and consider all the Troparion to St. George Deb, Dan, Bob, Catherine, Skip, Doug, Heidi, Laura, Elizabeth Matthew, Corella, deeds which thou hast done, and set them As the deliverer up before thine eyes. of captives Ron, , Frankie, Pat, Kathleen, Terena, Loretta, the homeless, the hungry, Now pour out the drops of thy tears and and defender victims of abuse and violence, & those boldly confess to Christ of thy deeds and of the poor, persecuted for their faith in Christ. thoughts, and so be thou justified. healer of the infirm In life’s course, O Savior, there has been and champion of kings, From the Great of St. Andrew no sin, no deed, no wicked thing, that I did victorious great The Lord once rained fire from heaven not commit. martyr George and consumed the land of Sodom. Seek I have sinned as no one has ever before, salvation on the mountain as did Lot, O intercede with Christ in mind, word and intent, in purpose, deed my soul, and find thy refuge in Zoar. our God and thought. Flee from the flames, O my soul, flee I offer to Thee in purity the tears of mine for our souls from the burning heat of Sodom, flee the eyes and the sighs from the depth of my salvation. destruction of the divine fire. heart, crying: O God, have mercy on me.

On Repentance, continued from p.1 I’ve sinned’. But repentance isn’t delude ourselves and take care of oth- In the first place, those who really ‘OK, I sinned’; it’s a feeling of pro- er things while ignoring the main is- live their repentance, not merely in a found pain at having broken God’s sue, which is repentance for our sins. superficial way, never condemn an- law, at the fact that God told us not to Lots of Christians today experience other person. The pain over their own do something and we went ahead and utter exhaustion from their mission- sins prevents them from judging oth- did it anyway, in direct opposition to ary work, from their trips, ers. Besides, those who are really liv- His all-holy will. That’s a terrible from carrying out charitable works, ing their repentance don’t talk about thing! And this feeling makes us shed their activities, advertising them in tears, the blessed tears of repentance. bulky tomes in which they present But the kind of repentance we see in themselves to the best possible ad- the lives of the , with sighs and vantage. And, to tell you a third char- groaning doesn’t exist among us to- acteristic, those who are truly repent- day, or is very rare. And so, my ant continually condemn them- friends, what will happen? Without selves for their actions. They aren’t repentance we won’t be saved? No. upset when others condemn them Because without repentance, the fact even if they do so on the basis of lies. that Jesus Christ was crucified isn’t Because they say: ‘Even if the charg- enough. Our repentance is essential. es are lies, we have so many other, As someone so beautifully and cor- secret sins that other people don’t rectly put it, the flinty hardness called know about. It’s good that they con- ‘sin’ is eroded by a mixture of two demn us: we do one thing and are drops: one drop is the blood of but it appears from their disappoint- punished for another’. Christ; the other is a tear of the sin- ing behavior that they haven’t learned My Christian brothers and sisters, ner. the lesson of repentance at all. It’s let us ask Our Lady the Mother of Since repentance is so necessary for obvious from their demeanor and God to give us repentance. We our salvation- and our salvation is even their words that they haven’t should certainly go to a confessor to everything- let’s make sure that we learned, that is, that they don’t live confess our sins and feel the Lord’s repent, truly and properly. Let’s not their repentance. mercy and forgiving love for us. St.- George Orthodox Church * 30 Myers Heights * Lansing, NY *14882 Page 2 (Homily on St. Mary of Egypt cont’d from p.1) of the second century that original zeal had already be- God's kingdom. gun to show signs of weariness. And what was first a How can this theology be translated into practice? thing of splendor and glory was now becoming tradition- What practical things are there to say about the Church al, half-hearted and nominal. and the Christian way of life that can be applied to our As a result, the standards demanded by Christianity daily life? One must first be strenuously and consistently were considered to be a burden and an obstacle. Persons engaged in Christian fellowship. This means that we did not want to different from others - as expected by the must not only be bound to God, but we must also be Christian ethic. There has always been a distinct separa- bound to each other. God has loved us. By His terrible tion between the Christian and the world. As foretold by death on the Cross, He showed the length to which our Lord in the Gospel of St. John (15.19): "If you were God's love will go and that there is no limit to what His of the world, the world would love its own; but because love will do for us. That, then, is the best reason for lov- you are not of the world, but ing each other. Consequent- I chose you out of the ly, the person who loves God world, therefore the world must also love his neighbor. hates you." Love of one's neighbor, how- All this involved an ethi- ever - and this is most im- cal demand. It demanded a portant - must not be only a new sense of morality, a sentimental emotion but a new kindness, a new ser- dynamic towards practical vice, a new forgiveness - far help. Just as a tree is known above the standards of the by its fruit, there is no better world. And it was difficult. way to know a person than Once the first zeal and en- by his conduct, since deeds thusiasm were gone, it be- speak louder than words. come harder and harder to The social Gospel of stand up against the enemies Christianity calls for our ac- of the Church - both from tive participation in alleviat- within and from without - ing the pain and suffering of and to refuse to conform to others. The Gospel teaches the generally accepted us that there are many oppor- standards and practices of tunities to display the love of the world. Christ in everyday life. To The world, as used in the follow Christ means extend- scriptural reference just ing a helping and sympathet- quoted, is hostile to the ic hand to our neighbor who Christian; it is a world with- is suffering or in pain; it out God. It does not know means giving of what we the Christian, because it have to our neighbor who does not know Christ cruci- has not; it means feeding the fied. Because the world is in collaboration with the evil hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, one, the Christian must overcome it. In this struggle, the and visiting the sick and the imprisoned. To shut our Christian's primary weapon is faith embodied in the heart and refuse to give to our neighbor in need is to power of the Cross. Hostile as the world is, it is never- show that the love of God has no place in us. theless doomed and will one day vanish with all its evil. This reflection began with the unsettling reminder of That is why it is folly to identify with the world and to the dangers that surround us in our struggle to live the be captivated by its allurements. life in Christ - the danger of slipping back into our old The message we are called upon to spread to others is ways and of allowing our practice of faith to become a simple yet profound. We live in an evil and hostile thing of habit. That certainly is the case when it is lim- world. However, the person committed to Christ pos- ited to ritual piety. The practice of faith that does not sesses what is needed to overcome it. When the destined issue forth in acts of love remains a dead letter. Similar- end of the world comes, therefore, that person is safe ly, fine words will never take the place of fine deeds; because he/she is a member of the body of Christ, His and no amount of talk of Christian love will take the Church, the kingdom of God on Earth. Nevertheless, the place of a humane and kindly action to our neighbor in more dependent we are upon the things of the world - its need, involving some small sacrifice. For in that action material goods, as well as its fleeting pleasures and fas- of love, the principle of God's love for us as manifested cinations - the less free we are and the more distant from by His Son's death on the Cross is operative again. St. George Orthodox Church * 30 Myers Heights * Lansing, NY *14882 Page 3 St. Mary of Egypt by Fr. Timothy Pavlatos One of the most prominent figures we find in Great life that she gave to Zosimus the priest, information that Lent is a woman whose very life epitomizes the most im- she dreaded sharing. What courage it took for her to ex- portant theme during this period of time, and her name is pose the depth of her sin and the shame that accompanied St. Mary of Egypt. She is an or repentance, a deposi- her actions to the priest Zosimus. “I am ashamed, Abba, tor of hope, and an evangelist like few others because, to speak to you of my disgraceful life, forgive me for after fleeing into the desert, she hardly spoke at all, and to God’s sake!” only one person at that! Nevertheless, though she had re- Through these words, St. Mary was exhibiting some nounced the world, and detached herself from living very powerful feelings and emotions: shame, fear and also among people, her love for God and her silent yet harsh courage. St. Mary had never shared her story prior to the ascetic struggle in the desert became the catalyst for many day she met Zosimus the priest and thus we take the nar- people since her time to bear her name and strive to fol- rative she shared as her to this man of God. low her example of repentance. Here too lies a very important lesson for all of us, and that St. Mary of Egypt’s life story, as recorded by St. So- is, do not allow shame to stand in the way of courage phronius, is one of the most profound and inspirational when it comes to approaching our Lord Jesus Christ in the stories one will ever hear. It is mystery of Holy Confession. impossible to begin reading Well-known researcher, speaker about her journey and not and author, Brene Brown defines yearn to know the end. The shame as, “the intensely painful very first words you read when feeling or experience of believ- you encounter her story speak ing that we are flawed and there- to the timeless value and abso- fore unworthy of love and be- lute need to pass down the longing–something we’ve expe- events about her life from one rienced, done, or failed to do generation to the next. makes us unworthy of connec- While there are literally hun- tion.” dreds of stories of various Shame is a very powerful thing Saints in the Church, I cannot and can prevent us from con- think of one that has had such necting with others, including an impact on the lives of oth- God. Shame is also painful. We ers, outside of the life and tri- are all flawed and we do things als of . If St. Mary’s life we are not proud of, and yet, we were not of such noteworthi- are loved and we do belong to ness, then why would the the One Who has given us life. Church appoint her as the per- Being flawless or sinless has son to emulate, giving her the never been a prerequisite for be- distinction of occupying the ing loved by God for “God 5th Sunday of Great Lent? Not demonstrates His own love to- only this, but the Church be- ward us, in that while we were lieved her life to be of such yet sinners, Christ died for significance to the faithful, us” (Rom. 5:8). God’s love for who are collectively called to us in not “contingent” on any- deepen their own life of re- thing because God is Love (cf. I pentance, that the reading of her entire life was assigned Jn.4:8), and He cannot “not” love us, no matter what we during the service of the Great Canon of St. Andrew of do. Crete. God loved Mary of Egypt even when she was a prosti- The greatest takeaway from her life is that salvation is tute, and His love for her was perfect and complete. He possible for anyone who truly repents. This may not loved her just the same as He loved Peter, John the Bap- sound like a profound statement, until you realize that her tist and His own mother. Through her deep repentance, adult life was spent as a prostitute. We do not know her bearing the shame of her deeds, and turning her life to- upbringing, her family of origin, what she had encoun- ward God, St. Mary of Egypt experienced the love of God tered by way of abuse, neglect or abandonment. But we in a most transformative way. Though she bore the scars could surmise that her upbringing was not ideal, other- of her transgressions, and painfully related them to Zosi- wise, why would she “choose” such a path as prostitu- mus the priest, she knew she was forgiven and loved by tion? This is not for us to know, at least at this time. If God. May we all carry with us the life of St. Mary of this information were important she would have revealed Egypt all the days of our life and hold it up as an example these details. What is of importance are the details of her of what is possible for those who love God.

St. George Orthodox Church * 30 Myers Heights * Lansing, NY *14882 www.saintgeorgelansing.com Page 4